House Foreign Affairs Committee Clears Bill To Power Africa

Feb 28, 2014

News sources report on a House committee’s passage of the Electrify Africa Act, aimed at providing electricity in Africa.

The Hill: Panel clears bill to help electrify Africa
“The House Foreign Affairs panel unanimously on Thursday approved legislation requiring the Obama administration to come up with a plan to encourage African countries to provide electricity to its almost 600 million people — 68 percent of the population — who don’t [have access]…” (Pecquet, 2/27).

Devex: Nuclear energy to ‘power Africa?’
“Should the U.S. government consider financing nuclear reactors to meet Africa’s future energy needs? The idea was floated on Thursday by Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-S.C.) during a House Foreign Affairs Committee meeting to discuss changes to the ‘Electrify Africa Act,’ where Duncan said he would recommend the option to the government for a continent with just two nuclear reactors — both built in the 1980s by the former apartheid regime in South Africa and which currently satisfy only five percent of the country’s demand for electricity…” (Stephens, 2/28).